Frenchman, American win Nobel Prize in Physics

STOCKHOLM (AP) - Frenchman Serge Haroche and American David Wineland have won the 2012 Nobel Prize in physics.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited the two scientists on Tuesday "for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems."

In short, they found ways to measure elusive quantum particles without destroying them, something researchers previously thought impossible, Reuters reported.

Their work could lead to the building of a new kind of super fast computer based on quantum physics, according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awarded them 8 million kronors (S$1.4 million) in prize money.